Car heater



Jan. 7, 1936. y vH. CRIC 2,026,655

l CAR HEATER Filed Mach .11, 1935 z'sheets-snet 1 3.1;, y Ziff/61%@ CAR HEATER Filed March ll, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 y l I I Jd/ AH- ---J .fz

Gum/maf Patented Jan. '2,' 1936 UNITED STATES can. HEATER Herbert C. Rice, Detroit, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich.. a cor? poration of Delaware Application March 11, 1935, Serial No. 10,376

s claims. (C1. 257-137) 'I'his invention relates to heating apparatus and more particularly to heating apparatus that is used to heat motor cars.

The use of heaters of dierent types in motor cars is, of course, common, but it is diiiicult to attain a satisfactory circulation of the heated air to different parts of the car.

It is an object of my invention to provide a heating unit which has a plurality of air inlets and outlets at different localities to give a better air circulation. l

It is a further object to provide a plurality of radiator elements in my heater and a plurality of air circulating blower elements.

It is a still further object to provide a large air iiow to carry the heat to the car.

With these and other objects in View, which will become evident as the description proceeds, my invention is embodied in the following construction as described in the specication and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the forward portion of a car with my heater attached, parts being shown in section.

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the heater taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of the heater taken on line 3-'3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 3; i

Figure 6 is a sectional-view taken on the lines 6-6 of Figures 3 and 5.

Figure 'l is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of Figure 3.

A motor car frame 2 supports at its forward end a motor 4 and a radiator 6, the latter being connected to the motor by the usual rubber connecting hoses 8 and I0. To the rear of the motor is the dash board I2 upon which is secured a heater I4 which is the subject of my invention. The heater is secured to the dash board by bolts I6 and the inlet pipe I8 is connected to the water in the motor head through a pet cock 20 and a tube 22. The outlet pipe 24 is connected to the lower 'radiator header 26 by a tube 28.

The heater -has a substantially cylindrical outer casing 38 which is peripherally secured at one end to a supporting bracket 32 which in turn supports the whole on the dash by bolts I6. It is thus evident that the body of the heater extends at right angles from the dash. The end of the casing is open, thus allowing air to ow from the outside around the arms of the bracket and into the center.

The opposite end oi the casing has a ring 66 tting inside and secured by pressing through 'openings in the ring, oiiset portions 3S of the casing. A front panel 38 is secured to the forward face of the ring by suitable screws 40. This front panel has a decorative edge portion and a pair ofdoorsl 42 pivoted in the edge as at 44 to control the ow of air from the front of the heater.

The inside of the casing is formed into two separate compartments by a partition 46 substantially midway between the ends. This partition has a circular opening in the center thereof in which is supported a motor 48. Angled brackets 50 secured to the partition by bolts 52 have portions 54 that extend along the motor casing to prevent it from tipping. The motor casing extends on both sides of the partition and an armature shaft 56 extends also out beyond the casing in both compartments and supports two fans 58 and 60, one on each end.

In each compartment also there is a conventional radiating element 62 and 64 respectively. In the forward or left compartment in Figure 3 the radiator is supported at the front of the compartment by the irregular shaped bracket 66 around. the radiator which extends to the inside of the casing and is secured thereto. A similar bracket 68 is used to support the radiator 64 at the approximate center of the rear compartment.

Extending from the rear face of the radiator in the forward compartment is a circular housing l0 which surrounds the fan 58 and acts to direct 35 the air through the radiator. In the casing 30 to the rear of the fan 56 and above themotor are a series of openings 12 at which air may enter from the outside. It is therefore evident that in the forward compartment the air enters the openings 12 and is pulled in by the fanl 58, goes through the circular housing 10, through the porous radiator 62 and out the front of the whole.

Extending forward from the rear radiator element 64 is a circular fan housing T4 which surrounds the fan 60 in the same manner that the housing 'l0 surrounds the fan 58. In this case the lower portion of the case 30 below the motor and ahead of the fan 60 has a series of louvres 16 therein for the expulsion of air, the air in this case being drawn through the open back of the casing, through the radiator and fan and is discharged from the bottom of the casing. As can be readily seen in Figuresfi and 5, the louvres 16 extend up on one side of the casing to discharge connected to both the radiating elements to sup-`v ply hot water thereto from the cooling systeml of the motor in a conventional manner.

It will thus be seen that I have-provided a multiple unit heater in which there are two separate radiator elements, two fans to cause air ow through the radiators and independent inlets and outlets for the air in diiefrentdirections. The air is pulled 'through one radiator and blown through the other, cool inlet air passing over the forward portion of the motor to prevent its becoming overheated. l'The control of the motor may be, by any conventional means,` through cables 18. By thus'splitting up the air stream, I obtain a higher heat transfer to the air from the heater per unit oi.' air and 'considerably less airfriction through the radiators to give -increased heat as well as better distribution from the heater, and obviouslywith two sets of fan blades the flow of air from the heater is high.

It will be further seen that I haverprovided a heater-which discharges the air both outwardly and downwardly to givea combination of outdraft and down-draft -from the heater. If only one heating element were used, the' opening in vthe bottom of the heater would be positioned adjacent the front opening of the heater to give` this result.

I claim: A

1. In' a heater, a casing, a plurality of air heating and circulating units therein, separate air inlets and outlets for each unit facing in different directions from the casing, the inlets being at right angles to each other and their respective outlets, so that air is taken in in different directions and discharged in still vfurther diierent directions.

2. In a heater. a casing, aplurality of radiator elements therein, a plurality'of propellingmeans between the radiating elements for causing -air to circulate through the radiators, a common motor `for actuating the air propelling means and a plurality of independent .air inlets 5 and outlets on corresponding sides of the radiating elements whereby airis drawn .through one of the radiator elements and .forced-through the other.

3.. In a heater, a substantiallyl cylindrical 'casing, a plurality of radiating elements. 'a plurality of air' circulatingfans and al common motor therefor, all alignedon the axis of the casing, air inlets inthetop and rear of the casing and air outlets at the front, bottom and one side to 15 'give a good'distribution of air'discharged from the radiators by the fans.

4. A heater comprising a casing, a partition at the approximate 4center of the casing, a motor supported by the partition, a fan on each end of 20' the motor shaft, a radiating element adjacent each fan, a ian housing carried by Ieach radiator element to direct the 4ow of air, openings at the rear and bottom of the-casingl acting as air inlet and outlet respectively of the rear radi- 25 atorland, in the top and front for the forward radiator element and adjustable-means on the front of the casing for varying-the flow of air therefrom.

' 5. A -heater comprising a casing, means 30 the .casing for circulating air therethrough, means within the casing for heating the air in twoY separate streams., and means for discharging the air from the casing one outwardly and onedownwardly at right angles to'each other. 35 6. A heater comprising a casing, means withinl the casing for circulating air therethrough, means within 4the casing for heating the air, and a plurality of inlet and outlet openings for air iiow whereby the air is taken in at diierent 4o points vand is discharged in two separate streams one outwardly and one downwardly therefrom at' right angles to each other.

HERBERT C. RICE.

Patent No. '2,026,655'.`

CERTIFICATE 0F CORRECTION.

Y .gzrxuary ".7, 1956.

HERBERT C. RICE.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 2, seCond Column, line 32535, clam, strike out the words. "in two separate streams" and insert the same after "alir'l n'line 33, same claim; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this Correction therein that the same may Conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office. I

Signed and sealed this 11th day of February, A. D. 1936..

Leslie Frazer (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

